Solar power lights up Rangpur homes
Sales of solar home systems in towns and rural areas in Rangpur and Dinajpur are soaring, driven by frequent power outages.
Fifteen organisations, including Grameen Shakti, BRAC Foundation, Rural Service Foundation (RSF), Padokkhep Manobik Unnayan Kendra and TMSS are expanding solar systems in the region.
About 65,000 families, 300 shops and 85 educational institutions have been brought under solar power over the last two decades.
BRAC was the first to roll out the service in the region in the early 1990s, but Grameen Shakti emerged in 2008 — better equipped.
“We are the largest solar power service provider in the region as well as other parts of the country. We meet 66 percent of the target, while 14 other organisations meet the remaining 34 percent,” said Kamrul Hoque, deputy general manager (DGM) of Grameen Shakti.
Grameen started marketing solar systems in April 2008 in Rangpur and Dinajpur, connecting 10,600 families, said Shawkat Hossain, the company’s divisional manager for Rangpur.
Grameen has sold the highest number of solar systems this year, at an average of 2,500 systems a month.
“We have sold 479 solar power home systems in four upazilas in Kurigram and four systems in Lalmonirhat since April,” said Amir Hosen, regional manager of RSF, a sister concern of Rahimafrooz.
The organisations are providing these services, promoted by Infrastructure Development Company Ltd (IDCOL), which is under the power and energy ministry.
World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Gtz and KfW have been funding IDCOL since 2003 in an effort to take the services to the underprivileged masses in remote areas.
Rabiul Islam, sales promotion officer of BRAC Foundation for Rangpur and Gaibandha, claimed children’s education and other household activities in rural areas have improved with the arrival of solar power.
The Grameen Shakti DGM said new business ventures such as radio/TV repairing shops and telephone services are available in the remotest villages in the north thanks to solar power.
With increasing power cuts, the service providers plan to supply solar power systems even in towns wired by electric lines of the Power Development Board and Polli Bidyut.
Dr Isahak, a medical officer of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, installed a 185-watt solar power system at his home. He said it is better than an IPS because it can supply power for four hours a day and can easily be maintained.
Khalilur Rahman of Palichara under Rangpur Sadar upazila, who installed a solar power home system at his home recently, said: “Though we have a Polli Bidyut power connection at our house, we are fed up with frequent outages. I was compelled to install the solar system.”
Saiful Islam of Ochingachh, Rajarhat upazila in Kurigram district, said: “As the Kurigram Polli Bidyut Samiti authorities have not agreed to extend their cables to my house, which is about 1,000 feet away from the pillar, we installed a solar power system.”
Solar power service providers are selling the system at different rates, depending on the watt it generates. A customer can choose to pay at a time or in instalments. A customer wishing to pay in instalments will have to make a 10 percent to 15 percent down payment first.
Service providers have made several recommendations to the government to boost sales of these systems.
Bangladesh Govt going for long term power & energy
Touching upon energy and power issues in his budget speech, the finance minister outlined a long-term vision to solve the gas and power crisis at present and in future, and as part of it proposed an allocation of Tk 4,310 crore for the sector in the next fiscal year (FY).
The allocation is 48 percent higher than that in the revised budget for the current FY.
The finance minister’s speech flashes the government’s consciousness about various issues related to energy, usually overlooked in the past. For instance, he talked about environment friendly energy technology, greater use of renewable energy like solar power, tapping coal in an environment friendly way, setting up a gas development fund for Bapex, conservation of energy and greater emphasis on partnership between private and public sectors.
AMA Muhith also tabled government plans to import gas from neighbouring countries through pipelines on the basis of mutual cooperation.
He adds, “We are continuing dialogue with our neighbouring countries to import power for mitigating the power crisis on a short term basis.”
He declined to give a definitive deadline for building a nuclear power plant but said the government plans to implement a 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant in Rooppur with self-finance.
The government is seriously considering using coal along with gas for power generation, Muhith said. “We shall set up coal fired power plant using environment friendly technology for extraction of coal. If required, coal may be imported to run these power plants.”
He said the government is also considering importing environment friendly energy technology in the “context of current level of environmental degradation”.
To enhance capacity of the national oil and gas exploration company Bapex, the government is considering setting up a gas development fund. Bapex’s Shahbajpur gas field in Bhola is ready to supply 45 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) gas for a 250 MW power plant proposed to be built there.
The country’s gas reserve is depleting. The proven reserve now is 7.3 trillion cubic feet (tcf) while probable reserve is 5.5 tcf more. This situation demands that the country must find new gas fields or face diminishing gas supply from 2011. For this, it is important to take up on-shore and offshore exploration for new reserves.
The government is also looking into the prospect of viable extraction of coal at deeper layers. “A time-befitting energy and coal policy is nearing finalisation,” he mentioned.
To ensure energy security, the government is working for a three-fold increase in oil refinery capacity.
Muhith pointed out that when Awami League came to power, it was aware of a huge gap between demand and supply, but it was not aware that the snag is not only in the supply of gas and generation of power but also in the transmission of power. There had been ’serious neglect’ to taking up new initiatives regarding known gas fields.
As a result, the present government has been compelled to set up “expensive dual-fuel power plants that can use diesel or furnace oil and also gas,” the finance minister said.
“Only 45 percent of our entire population have access to power. Currently our per capita power consumption is only 172 kwh, which is 325 kwh in Sri Lanka, 408 kwh in Pakistan and 665 kwh in India.”
Against the average power demand of 5000 MW at present, the existing power plants can generate only3800 MW, he said. “We are determined to take appropriate steps to increase power generation assuming its demand to be 20,000 MW by 2021.”
This year additional power will be generated by four projects under public sector and 440 MW by 11 projects under private sector. The bidding process for building 450 MW Bibiyana power plant is underway.
“If we go ahead as planned, we hope that by 2013, 2810 MW of power will be produced through 13 projects under public sector and another 1,350 MW through three private sector projects,” the minister said.
The government is also working for efficiency enhancement of management and efficient use of power. During the boro season this year, the government through load management diverted 300 MW power for irrigation to achieve bumper boro harvest.
“We have taken up a Tk 105 crore project to produce energy saving bulbs. Once this project is implemented, there will be a saving of 350 MW electricity,” Muhith said.
For transmission-distribution of power, the government has a three-year plan. An additional 837 km power grid line, 17 sub-stations and 15,000 km distribution line will be built.
The country now produces 20 MW power from renewable energy, mainly in rural areas. Now the government is taking initiatives for use of solar energy and biogas technology also in urban areas.
To address gas issues, the government plans to drill in 2009-11 period five development wells, four work-over wells and four production wells to get an additional 208 mmcfd. Offshore exploration will start soon.
Burma to sell electricity to Bangladesh
A Burmese company is keen on setting up a 500 MW hydroelectric power plant in Arakan State and export electricity to Bangladesh. This was announced by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni yesterday.
During her recent visit to Burma she held discussions with the authorities of a local company the Shwe Taung Development Co. which has leased land in Arakan State to set up two power plants which will export electricity to Bangladesh in order to meet its rising demand.
A team of technical experts from the Ministry of Energy is expected to visit Arakan State in the first week of July for a feasibility study on the prospects of electricity import, she said at a seminar on Bangladesh-Burma Relations organized by the Bangladesh Institute of International Strategic Studies ( BIISS).
The quantum of bilateral trade between the two countries will be increased from the present 140 million US dollar to 500 million US dollar during the 2009-10 fiscal year.
Establishment of direct banking facilities will also be beneficial to the businessmen of both countries, she said.
On road communication Bangladesh is seeking a highway and a railway route linking Burma, other Southeast Asian countries and China. This is underway. Moreover, an airline between Bangladesh and Burma will start operating very soon. To facilitate trade and tourism, bi-weekly direct flights on the Mandalay-Cox’s Bazaar route can be operated by any Bangladeshi private airline, Dip Muni said.
The Bangladesh government is also preparing and updating a list of Muslim refugees from Burma who number around 22,000, at Burma’s request for repatriation to their home country, she said.
A political observer in exile says, there is no hydroelectricity in Arakan State for the Arakanese people under Burmese rule till today. This despite the abundant rivers, creeks and water-falls which can help generate hydroelectricity in the state. Natural gas is also available in great quantity in this state. Despite all this the Arakanese people are in a state of extreme poverty.
S: narinjara.com
24MW rental power plant comes on stream
A 24-megawatt (MW) rental power plant in Barabkunda in Sitakunda upazila, the first private power generation initiative in Chittagong, started operations yesterday.
A team comprising Bangladesh Power Development Board officials visited the plant on Thursday and cleared the way for sending power to the national grid by giving a ‘no objection certificate’.
Regent Power Ltd, a unit of Habib Group, set up the plant at a cost of Tk 130 crore over 2.5 acres of land. Plant construction began in May 2008 alongside the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) substation in Barabkunda area.
Group Managing Director Yasin Ali said the plant will sell all generated power to the PDB and the power will directly go to the national grid through the Barabkunda substation in line with an agreement with the government.
“The capacity of the plant can be increased several times and if the government approves, we would be able to generate more power within the shortest possible time,” Ali said.
Regent Power Ltd is one of the nine private firms, which received permission from the government in November 2007 to generate power.
Besides, construction of two other power plants, rental and state-run, is going into operation by next month (June) and April next year respectively.
Of them, the private-firm Energies Power Corporation Ltd is setting up a 73.8 MW capacity furnace oil-fired plant at Shikalbaha on the bank of the river Karnaphuli under Patiya upazila.
According to an agreement with the government, PDB will get 55 MW power from the plant, while the remaining will be rented to private firms.
On the other hand, the government is setting up a 150MW Peaking Power Plant in the same area with a cost of Tk 534 crore.
Bangladesh to introduce daylight saving time likely from June 16
Bangladesh government has decided to switch daylight saving time from June 16 till September 30 in a bid to ensure maximum use of daylight to cope with crippling power crisis. Under the daylight saving time, clocks will be turned ahead by an hour, state minister for power Shamsul Haq Tuku told reporters on Tuesday after An interministerial meeting provisionally had decided to introduce the daylight saving system for an ‘extra hour’ of daylight. The switch will remain in effect from June 16 to Sept 30 but if implemented the next year, it will come in force from April 1, he said adding more meetings will further discuss the issue before a final decision is made in this regard. Electricity supplies to homes, businesses and factories across Bangladesh have been cut for several hours a day over the past few months as the country grapples with a power deficit as much as 7000 MW, by some estimates. Earlier, on April 5 the state minister said the government wanted to introduce daylight saving because it was much easier to conserve 1MW power this way than it was to produce an extra 1MW. The matter was discussed with all official stakeholders and their opinion was solicited. An official of the Power Division, who attended the meeting, said they sought opinions from 18-19 ministries and divisions including labor, planning, industry, foreign affairs, telecoms, information, shipping, law, civil aviation, tourism and education. Most of the ministries responded positively. Representatives of establishment, health, local government, and primary and public education ministries approved of the decision at the meeting, meeting sources said. Besides, the Meteorological Department in its opinion said that the 9am-5pm office hours can be adjusted to 8am-4pm from April 1 to September 30.
S: Asian Tribune
Nuclear Power: Dhaka to sign MoU with Moscow in mid May
A Russian minister is expected to visit Dhaka in the middle of May to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) regarding peaceful use of nuclear energy and development of related infrastructure, officials said.
Schedule of the visit will be finalised once the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) approves a draft proposal regarding signing an agreement with Russia on setting up two 1,000MW nuclear power plants. Ministry of Science and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) had sent the proposal to the PMO in the second week of April.
Earlier Bangladesh and Russia had agreed on their proposals for nuclear power plant set up and signing an MoU after three-day talks held in Dhaka in the first week of April. At the talks the Russian delegation expressed their interest to assist in the project while Bangladesh articulated its desire to set up two 1,000Mw power plants.
“We are waiting for the approval of the proposal…..we are expecting that the PMO will soon give a positive nod,” Joint Secretary to the Science and ICT Ministry MM Neazuddin told The Daily Star yesterday.
The Russian delegation also submitted a proposal to its authorities regarding the matter. Both the countries will inform each other after their respective high-ups approve the proposals, sources said.
According to a paper prepared by the ICT ministry, the estimated cost of a 1,000MW nuclear power plant ranges between $1.5 billion and $2 billion. Experts say installation of such a unit will take at least five years from commissioning of the deal.
Bangladesh has been negotiating with several countries for setting up nuclear power units. Recently, Dhaka sought assistance from South Korea. France and China have also shown interest while Bangladesh has bilateral agreements on nuclear cooperation with the United States, France and China.
“The government, which assumed office with the promise to improve the volatile power situation, is willing to strike a deal with a country soon so that installation of the power unit can be started immediately,” said an official of the ICT ministry.
S: The Daily Star
The Power Development Board on Monday signed a contract with a foreign company, for setting up a 40 MW diesel-based rental power plant at Khulna.
The Power Development Board on Monday signed a contract with a foreign company, for setting up a 40 MW diesel-based rental power plant at Khulna.
The representatives of PDB and Agreeko International Projects of Singapore signed the costly rental power agreement at the DESA Bhaban .
Agreeko was selected for setting up a 20 MW power plant at Bheramara. Around 240 MW of electricity is likely to be added to the national grid by mid-May with the signing of agreements for the Khulna power plant and five others.
Source: NewAge
Power Development Board – Bangladesh signs deals for 5 rental power plants
The Power Development Board of Bangladesh on Wednesday signed agreements with two companies for the installation of five costly rental power plants within 120 days to add 200 MW of electricity to the national grid by this summer, when the demand for power reaches its peak.
However, the fate of the agreements for two other rental plants with a combined capacity of 60 MW has become uncertain as the two other selected companies demanded changes in some terms of the agreements at the last moment before signing them.
The representatives of the PDB and a consortium of Energy Prima, Hosaf Meter Industry and Geo-Spectrum Group signed four agreements for the installation of the Shahjibazar 50 MW, Kumargaon 50 MW, Fenchuganj 50 MW and Bogra 20 MW power plants on a build-own-operate basis, while the representatives of the board and a joint venture of Kaltimax Energy and GBB Power signed an agreement for setting up the 30 MW Bhola power plant.
The newly appointed special assistant to the chief adviser for the power and energy ministry, M Tamim, the power secretary, M Fouzul Kabir Khan, and other high officials of the Power Division, PDB and Power Cell were present at the signing
ceremony at DESA Bhaban.
The signing of agreements for two diesel-run rental power plants — the 40 MW Khulna and 20 MW Bherama plants — could not be completed on Wednesday as the two selected companies, Agreeko International Projects and Alstom Power International, demanded changes in some terms of the agreement on penalty issues.
The representatives of Alstom and Agreeko were discussing the terms of the agreements with their headquarters in the USA and Singapore till the filing of this report at 9pm.
Fouzul told reporters that they had completed negotiations with all the four companies for setting up seven power plants with a combined capacity of 260 MW. ‘I hope that agreements for the two other plants will be signed soon. We have made our position clear to the selected companies and are not going to change it. They have to drop their demands if they want the work order,’ he told reporters.
Fouzul said that around 260 MW of electricity would be added to the national grid by mid-May from these seven power plants.
The PDB will pay 4.517 US cents for each unit of power to Shahjibazar, 4.148 cents to Kumargaon, 4.65 cents to Fenchuganj, 3.6 cents to Bogra, 5.198 cents to Bhola, 19.71 cents to Khulna and 21.77 cents to Bheramara power plants.
Fouzul said that although they know the electricity from these plants will be costly in comparison with the price paid to PDB’s own power plants, they had no other option but to set up the plants to tackle the electricity crisis in the summer. ‘A number of large power plants will come into operation by the next two to three years. In the meantime we need emergency supply of electricity to reduce power shortage,’ he said.
Tamim said that the price of the electricity of short-term power plants was usually higher than that of long-term power plants that are set up for twenty years. ‘I think these contracts are not bad as the prices of electricity from these rental plants are not that high,’ he said.
Both Tamim and Fouzul hoped that they would be able to mitigate somewhat the electricity crisis in the summer with the help of these plants.
Source: New Age
